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Mapping The Mobile Landscape: The Windows 8 tablet death match
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The following comments relate to this news article:
article published on 14 October, 2012
In last week's installment of our series on mobile devices and the companies who make them looked at Microsoft's efforts to launch an ARM-powered Windows 8 platform (Windows RT) and its synergy with Windows Phone 8. Of course those are only two pieces of the Windows 8 puzzle. The other piece, and arguably the biggest one financially, is the standard x86 version of the OS; the one officially ... [ read the full article ]
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Bozobub
Senior Member
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14. October 2012 @ 11:38 |
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In a nutshell: EXACTLY. This article nails it.
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ViewRoyal
Newbie
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14. October 2012 @ 14:29 |
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Rich, I agree with you 100%!
Windows RT tablets, without being able to run Windows applications, will be irrelevant. People will want to buy the x86 Windows 8 tablets, so that they can run all of their Windows software.
But...
The problem is that people will be faced with the decision of buying an x86 Windows 8 tablet with an ultra, ultra low power Atom processor (which will last a long time on battery, but will offer anemic and frustratingly slow performance), or buying an x86 Windows 8 tablet with an i5 or i7 processor (which will offer the same Windows performance as on a notebook PC, but will run hot and have a very short battery life).
That is the conundrum of trying to shoe-horn a desktop operating system into a small screen tablet.
The x86 tablets will always be thicker, heavier, run hotter (requiring vents and an internal fan), and have a shorter battery life than ARM tablets.
Then there is the problem of trying to use desktop applications (like Excel or Photoshop) which are not designed for multi-touch gestures or interface element size, on a ten inch screen using stubby fingers.
Ultrabooks have larger screens necessary for Windows applications, and a real keyboard and multi-touch trackpad necessary for Windows applications. And since we have been told that the price of the x86 Windows 8 tablets will be similar to 13" and 15" Ultrabooks, which will be in a similar weight and thickness category, why would anyone choose the tablet over the Ultrabook for the same price?
Windows 8 tablets of both the ARM and x86 varieties will be a hard sell for anyone looking for a portable Windows PC.
Windows 8 tablets are just a new name for Tablet PCs, which were sold both in tablet form and in convertible notebook form, which ran Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. We know how poorly those sold over the past 11 years. Revising the name to Windows 8 tablet is not very likely to change that.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 14. October 2012 @ 14:38
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WP7Mango
Newbie
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14. October 2012 @ 18:05 |
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@ViewRoyal
First to the point on why would someone choose an x86 tablet over an ultrabook? The answer is actually quite simple and comes from my own experience, which is that I want a single device that I can use as a tablet for casual use, but can also connect to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse and become a desktop base unit, or which can be used as a laptop. Many of the tablet hybrids launching at the end of this month allow the device to be used as a standalone tablet using the new Windows 8 UI, which I can tell you from my own testing on a Samsung 700T tablet, works great! These devices can optionally attach to keyboards or docking stations allowing them to be used as full PCs when required. Whether it's a tablet, a hybrid, an ultrabook, it's all about customers being able to choose a device which best suits their requirements.
The second point is about the argument of iPad vs Windows RT tablet - why would anyone buy an RT tablet? The answer is for several reasons -
1. Windows RT tablets can run two apps side-by-side on the screen, whereas the iPad cannot. It's a great feature which offers significant benefits in many situations.
2. Windows RT supports multiple users, which is perfect when sharing a device in the family where everyone has their own login and can have their own apps, there own settings, their own accounts, their own contacts etc.
3. Windows RT tablets have expandable storage with SD / Micros SD card slots. You can take a 64GB RT tablet and instantly expand it to 128 GB using a Micro SD card. It's also handy for importing picture or videos from camera equipment without needing any extra cables.
4. Windows RT tablets have much better connectivity to external peripherals due to integrated ports for HDMI, USB, (plus SD cards as menntioned above).
5. The Live Tiles in Windows RT are a great feature, offering many benefits such as live data, rolling notifications with pictures, mutiple shortcuts to subsections of an app, etc.
There are many more advantages, but these five points are enough to demonstrate that Windows 8 / RT is a much more capable operating system even when used on an ARM tablet.
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Senior Member
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14. October 2012 @ 18:30 |
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Windows 8 tablet death match -- see which tablet can die quickest!
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Senior Member
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16. October 2012 @ 17:36 |
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Originally posted by jack121231234:
Everyone. I have an idea. Instead of voicing your prejudices and possibly misconceptions, how about actually wait for it to come out, evolve, and (just perhaps) give it a try for yourself?
Windows 8 has been available for people to try out for quite some time. And Microsoft has stated they're not changing the things people are complaining about. So these aren't really prejudices and misconceptions; they're informed judgements and conceptions.
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bdaleypsu
Junior Member
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18. October 2012 @ 07:52 |
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I smell fail...
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Senior Member
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18. October 2012 @ 11:46 |
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Quote:
What they're doing with Windows RT, though, takes that philosophy to the extreme by dropping all support for legacy applications. In and of itself that's not necessarily a big deal. In fact it's standard for a mobile OS.
This is exactly what is wrong with all of those OS's and the tablet world mentality so predominant today!
Dumb move folks and it is not only excepted but embraced, amazing!!
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